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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (4174)	1/31/2001 1:15:12 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

I would disagree with you. Drugs are often used to medicate a chemical imbalance- alcoholics, for example, are frequently trying to medicate themselves, the same is true of other substance abusers. Medication, imo, is preferable to an altered state of reality based on morality and a reality structure that is non-verifiable. A drug user is aware his substance is coming from a drug- he or she can point to the drug. The religious are convinced (religious of every stripe- I single out no particular religion) that their substance is the only substance, that it is good for EVERYONE, and that everyone should be using it. Much more dangerous, imo. If drugs were not criminalized, and if the government controlled purity and dispensing, or if doctors did, most drugs would pose much less of a threat to society than alcohol- and a much lesser threat than religion. Wars are not often fought over drugs (I can only think of the Opium wars and I can't really remember the geopolitical intrigue behind those, unless you talk about gang wars- which are only possible because of prohibition and an artificial demand curve)- but they are frequently fought over religion. Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. Blaise Pascal words to always remember, although I would add that it should include any unexamined fundamentalist type belief that approaches the fervor of religion